Feature Writing By Jeanne Acton, UIL/ILPC Journalism Director
Feature Writing tells the reader a story. It has a beginning (lead), middle and end. It uses quotes liberally and allows the reader to see the story through detailed description and vivid writing.
Transition/Quote Formula Linked Lead: Most interesting information. Something that will grab the reader's attention and drag them into the story. Nut Graph: A summary of what the story is going to be about. Why the story is important. Direct Quote: Connects to the nut graph. Use more than one sentence. Direct quotes should show the emotion of the story. Transition: Next important fact. Use transition words to help the story flow. They can be facts, indirect quotes or partial quotes. Linked Direct Quote: Connects to the first transition. Do not repeat the transition in the quote. DQ should elaborate on the transition. Transition: Next important fact. Use transition words to help the story flow. They can be facts, indirect quotes or partial quotes. Linked And so on until the story is complete Direct Quote: Connects to the second transition. Do not repeat the transition in the quote. DQ should elaborate on the transition.
Let's start at the beginning with LEADS
Leads The opening sentence must grab and hold the reader's attention by using specific, interest-arousing words.
Leads The lead must catch the spirit of the story and create the proper tone: serious, sarcastic, ironic, flippant, melancholy.
Leads Can be and often are longer than one sentence Your chance to grab the reader's attention Should be specific to your story Should not be filled with cliches Should be in third person Must fit the mood or tone of the story
A Few Types of Leads Narrative - tells a story Descriptive - describes a scene, person or subject Direct Quote must be used with narrative Startling statement Contrast and Compare (then and now) Twist
Narrative - tells a story The freshman sits in psychology class, hidden in the back row as always, relieved that no one knows who she is. She thinks about her big sister, also a psych major, who aced the last exam of her life in this building hours before she was abducted.
Narrative - tells a story On senior Alicia Brigg's two-hour trip with her parents to church, she turned around and noticed that in the back of the Suburban all her bags were packed. All of the sudden, I realized I wasn't going to church; I was on my way to the airport, she said. I started screaming, crying and swearing at my dad, trying to figure out what was happening. That's when her dad told his 17-year-old daughter he had put her up for adoption.
Narrative - tells a story D.J. carried his demons clenched in his fists. The 13-year-old lashed out at teachers, siblings and foster parents. When reprimanded for his behavior, he stared at his feet and apologized in mumbles. D.J. needed hope. That much Andrea Calloway knew. Normal efforts to reach the boy didn t work. But Calloway knew D.J. wasn t a normal child. When his biological parents finished beating each other, they turned to their five kids. With D.J., they punched him and told him he was worthless.
Descriptive - describes a scene/person Andrew, an electrical engineer, looks better than your average 37-year-old, college-educated man from Canton, OH. Clean-shaven, wearing a fitted maroon polo shirt and black dress pants. Athletic. Energetic. Flirtatious. He sits on the patio of a local restaurant, sipping his cocktail, skimming the menu at the kind of place you take your kids to after soccer practice. "Yesterday I had drink. Today I had two. Tomorrow, I don't know," Andrew says, both hands cupped around a sweaty vodka-soda with lime. "But it's not heroin."
Descriptive It's too disturbing to watch the big screen TV at his cousin's house. Too soon. Too real. Instead, using his index fingers, Joshua Joseph twiddles a Dove soap box, the one he used to scribble telephone numbers on when he was evacuating. He flips the box around. There's his girlfriend's number. Backward. His best friend's digits. Forward. His coach's number. This is Joseph's cell phone now. His real one is lost, somewhere back in New Orleans along with most of his clothes, his family's house and life as he knew it.
Descriptive - describes a scene, person or event Tom McNichol has fished a lot of strange things out of Boston's Charles River. Among the most unexpected are a portable toilet, a recliner and a dead body.
Direct Quote - use sparingly. Must be very powerful quote Don't be mad. I took some pills, Karen Keaton cried as she stooped over the toilet. A few hours later, the 14-year-old freshman died after a series of coronary arrests.
Quote with narrative "Don't bury me." 6-year-old Fareed Shawky cries as doctors treat the shrapnel wounds that cover his body. He is just a child. But more than six months of war in his country, Yemen, had taught him the bitter realities of conflict. People die, then they are buried. "Don't bury me," Fareed says again through tears. His young father stands across from him and smiles trying to ease his child's fears. "I was trying to calm him down and at the same time my tears are falling," al-thamry Shawky says, "I told him, 'Don't be afraid, my son. You will get better.'"
Startling Statement - creates drama After stumbling out of the wrecked car, junior Aspen Lloyd opened the door to the backseat. Instantly, she knew he was gone. Junior Josh Duckworth has a fetish.
Twist Nigel Davis has had plenty of unfunny days. A father shot. A mother taken by cancer. A childhood in the ghetto. He served in the Persian Gulf war, worked in a mail room and waited tables at a Mexican restaurant where he hated singing Happy Birthday to customers. He s sung in a blues band and had his heart broken after moving 1,000 miles for a woman. But always, he s been able to make people laugh.
Another Twist At 21, he is a grizzled thing. Sparse black hair barely covers his liver spots and flaking skin. Glaucoma and cataracts plague his eyes. Flattened hooves slow his gait to an almost crawl. But in just two days, Potsie will be ready to party. On Tuesday, assuming he survives that long, Potsie will win the Guinness World Record title as the oldest Vietnamese potbellied pig.
A good lead makes you want to read more Zackary Jargowsky hates pronouns. He hates the she that sometimes slips out when he's playing Quidditch with his friends, and the it he's been labeled by the ones who don't understand. He hates the prolonged stares as people try to figure out what is going on beneath his Nightmare Before Christmas hoodie and plaid, vertical striped shirts the ones the stylist said would help.
A good lead shows drama The low point came in March. Or maybe it was April. Monty Williams isn t sure. Time blurs. For two weeks, Micah and Elijah passed the stomach flu back and forth, as 5- and 8-year-olds do. They threw up on the carpet, in the bed, on the bathroom floor. Everywhere but the toilet and trash can. Finally one night, they combined for a particularly messy episode. Williams stumbled out to of bed and herded the boys into the shower, then into clean pajamas and back to sleep. He longed to go back to bed, but he knew Ingrid would have never left the mess.
Writing devices for leads Repetition Short, punchy sentences. Fragments. Using dialogue Mixing sentence length to set a rhythm Breaking the rules starting with And
The lead should open with the specific, then go to the general.
Rather than: With America engaged in a war in Iraq, many students know U.S. military men who have lost their lives. Leaguetown lost one of its own last month when Nicolas Barrera was killed in Iraq.
Try this: When Briana Barrera didn t hear from her son, Nicolas, for a week she knew something was wrong. Maybe it was mother's intuition, but she knew. And when she saw two officers walking toward her door, her worst fear was confirmed. The officers said they were sorry to deliver the news, but Nicolas died with honor, she said. Dying with honor? How does that help? My heart was breaking. My boy was gone.
Here s the basic info Proyecto Adelante is a nonprofit agency that counsels people seeking U.S. citizenship. You interviewed Dolly Warden, a volunteer psychologist who counsels these torture victims. She describes the stories of several of the victims. She is going to speak at your school next week. Your story comes out first.
Which is the best lead? Everyone hears stories of rape and murder from other countries. If you ever wanted to help one of these victims, you need to know about Proyecto Adelante. It is a non-profit agency that counsels people seeking U.S. citizenship.
Which is the best lead? You have slaved all day in a field during which the temperature reached over 100 degrees. You earned your dollar pay, but when you ask your owner for it, you are brutally beaten, which causes you to miss two days of work. That happens in Guatemala. Proyecto Adelante is trying to help Guatemalans escape the torture.
Which is the best lead? He can hear her screams, her pleas for mercy. He sees the soldiers beating her, burning circles on her arms and legs with their cigarettes. He hears her gasping for air, choking on her own tears as the soldiers circle her. He breaks down as he cries out, They left her for dead on the streets. Psychologist Dolly Warden sits next to the young Guatemalan, listening, consoling, growing angrier, more bitter by the second. This is no cliché. She feels his pain. When he leaves, she slams her clipboard against a filing cabinet. She screams. Even curses. My God. What kind of animals are these? It s a question she s asked dozens of times since becoming a volunteer at Proyecto Adelante four years ago.
Lead writing pitfalls: News or editorials leads. Avoid first and second person. Stating the obvious. Using clichés. Imagine this leads
No news or editorials leads. Avoid first and second person Freshman Sarah Clark made the cheerleader squad for the 2017-18 school year. Congratulations to Sarah Clark for making the cheerleading squad. We are proud of her.
Don't state the obvious Every day, millions of people wake up, go to work or go to school. But some days, they don't. Millions of teenagers have jobs. They work for many reasons: college, cars, just to have some spending money in their pocket.
No cliches Take one for the team. Life is short. And the winner is...
Do not Imagine this Imagine what it would be like to be shot in the head with a 57-magnum. Dallas-resident Carly Patty doesn t have to. Her little brother shot her in the face accidentally last summer. Imagine what it would be like to carry your brother on your back for 25 miles. After next weekend, Brayden won t have to imagine it.
Try this instead Wrestling practice is over for the night, but junior Brayden Bedford still has one more workout to do this one at home. As soon as Brayden enters his home, his 6-year-old brother begins begging for a piggyback ride. Brayden never refuses. Each night, the little boy clings to his big brother s shoulders and squeals with delight. Since Frankie was born, I ve carried him everywhere, Brayden said. He has a great wheelchair, but he prefers for me to carry him. Now that he s 6, he can do piggyback rides. It s one of his favorite things to do, and it definitely makes my day.
What's next?
After a strong lead You need a strong nut graph.
What is a nut graph? Basically, it is a summary of what the story is going to be about. It's the 5 Ws and H that you didn t answer in the lead. It's the thesis sentence of your story.
The Nut Graph Wrestling practice is over for the night, but junior Brayden Bedford still has one more workout to do this one at home. As soon as Brayden enters his home, his 6-year-old brother begins begging for a piggyback ride. Brayden never refuses. Each night, the little boy clings to his big brother s shoulders and squeals with delight. Since Frankie was born, I ve carried him everywhere, Brayden said. He has a great wheelchair, but he prefers for me to carry him. Now that he s 6, he can do piggyback rides. It s one of his favorite things to do, and it definitely makes my day. Usually the piggyback ride is just around the house, but Brayden has bigger plans in the works for Frankie and himself a 25-mile piggyback ride on April 1 to raise money for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. Brayden will carry Frankie, who was born with cerebral palsy, the entire journey.
What's next?
After a strong lead and an informative nut graph Use the Transition/Quote formula
transition direct quote transition direct quote transition direct quote The walk will begin at 7 a.m. at the school gym and end at city hall, where the wrestling team will host a barbecue celebration starting at 3 p.m. I got the idea for the walk after seeing a video about this father who has pushed his son in his wheelchair in more than 20 marathons in Boston, Brayden said. I thought, I could do that, but instead of pushing Frankie, I want to carry him. When Brayden decided to do the walk, his goal was to raise $1,000. He created a Facebook page for the walk and told a few friends and church members. Within days, I had people asking how to donate, Brayden said. I put up a donation link, and five people donated the first night. I met my original goal in four days. Brayden s new goal is $10,000. I think the new goal might be a little high, but my mom encouraged me to go big, he said. So I m doing it.
transition direct quote transition direct quote transition direct quote When he told his parents about the walk, his mother Macey Bedford said she was floored. Twenty-five miles is not easy when you re walking by yourself, she said. I can t imagine doing it while carrying 65 pounds on my back. Brayden s parents will ride in a golf cart behind the boys. We offered to walk, but Brayden wants to do this journey on his own, his mom said. He didn t want an easy journey. He said to me, Mom, Frankie would give anything just to be able to walk 25 feet. I think I can do 25 miles for him. Every time I remember him saying that, I get all choked up. To prepare for the walk, Brayden worked with wrestling coach Scott Wilder. I am positive he will do just fine, Wilder said. He s in great shape, and he s determined.
SCOTT WILDER, VARSITY WRESTLING COACH Brayden is one special kid. Ever since I ve known him, he s talked about his little brother Frankie. He loves that kid so much. The whole team loves Frankie, too. He is an inspiration. Every time Frankie comes to one of our competitions, we win. We call him our lucky charm. I ve helped Brayden train for the walk, and I am positive he will do just fine. He s in great shape, and he s determined. Where did those transitions come from? To prepare for the walk, Brayden worked with wrestling coach Scott Wilder. I am positive he will do just fine, Wilder said. He s in great shape, and he s determined.
Intro Information Brayden s walk will begin at 7 a.m. at the school gym, continue through the town and end at city hall. The boys parents will follow their sons in a motorized golf cart. Brayden will carry 65-pound Frank on his back and estimates that it will take him about eight to nine hours to complete the walk. Where did those transitions come from? Brayden s parents will ride in a golf cart behind the boys. We offered to walk, but Brayden wants to do this journey on his own, his mom said. He didn t want an easy journey. He said to me, Mom, Frankie would give anything just to be able to walk 25 feet. I think I can do 25 miles for him. Every time I remember him saying that, I get all choked up.
Let s talk story flow So often after the lead and nut graph, students don t master the art of flow within the story. It jumps. It disconnects. It loses the reader. Using the transition/quote formula helps, but you also need to connect your paragraphs.
It only took a moment for 10-year-old Lauren Gillies to find the words to describe her mother. "Loving. Funny. Pretty. Wonderful," the blueeyed blonde beamed. "She was the coolest mom ever." And she was. Tracy Gillies lived her life for her two girls Lauren and four-yearold Payton. She made it fun, colorful and most of all inspiring. Each year for the girls birthday parties, Tracy crafted creative themes and executed elaborate plans to make for an over the top birthday party. Lauren s favorite was her fifth birthday party. Tracy hosted a pool party for Lauren and created an awesome birthday cake with a blue jello pool right in the middle of it. Teddy grahams sporting tiny piped-on icing bikinis and little umbrellas topped off the cake. The following year, super mom Tracy devised a Hollywood themed party for Lauren. We watched a movie on the side of our house, and my mom decorated the whole upstairs like Hollywood, she said. We had a red carpet, disco ball, a strobe light. We made our own Hollywood stars. It was so cool.
The Nut Graph For Payton s third birthday, Tracy picked a zoo theme and brought a petting zoo to their backyard. I thought a bunny, a chicken and maybe a small goat after the horses and a donkey were unloaded, I think I saw an alpaca in my back yard, Jerry, her husband, said. It wasn t your average petting zoo. But average wasn t how anyone would describe Tracy. She did nothing small. Nothing without inspiration. She was the planner. Huge, beautifully designed, spectacular plans. Unfortunately, on Dec. 31, 2012, Tracy and her family were hit with an event she didn t plan and one she never truly understood. Her family, including her parents and brother, is still struggling to understand today.
transition direct quote transition direct quote For six months, she wasn t feeling well, Jerry said. We knew something was wrong, but we didn t know what. On New Year s Eve, the Gillies family got their what an inoperable mass in Tracy s brain. A few days later, a biopsy showed a Grade 4 Glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and deadliest brain tumors. After the biopsy, everything went downhill fast, Jerry said. There was nothing good the doctors could tell us. Within a week of the biopsy, Tracy was transferred to a hospice facility. The doctors said the swelling was too intense and the growth of the tumor was too fast. Nothing could be done. At that point, she wasn t aware of everything, Jerry said. The tumor took over. She slipped in and out. The tumor devastated her short-term memory.
Towards the end, Jerry chose a night and spent it with Tracy at the hospice facility. I told her everything I wanted to, he said, tears welling in his eyes. I think she heard me, but she couldn t retain things. Tracy passed away quietly on Jan. 31, 2013 one month after the initial diagnosis. She never accepted any of it, Jerry said. It was too fast. She lost too much too quickly. That is one of the hardest things for Jerry to live with. She didn t get to leave anything for the kids, he said. She would have written letters for the girls. She would have planned for them. She would have put every last energy into the girls. But this horrible disease didn t allow for any planning. It robbed Jerry of his young wife, the mother of his children and his best friend of 25 years. Tracy and Jerry met in high school, but it wasn t love at first sight. I don t think she really liked me much, he said. She was a bowhead who wore Laura Ashley dresses, and I was a meathead who worked out all the time.
So how do you end a feature story?
End your story with - A powerful quote Or - Tie the ending back to the lead
For example: Lauren knows her mother would be proud. One night, we were talking in bed and my mom said, If I die, I would want something in memory of me, even it was something little, Lauren said. This scholarship is something big. Just like Tracy.
For example: Frankie said he can t wait for the walk. Brayden is the best brother in the world, and I love him so much, he said. This is going to be awesome.
Yes, you can Use the first name on the second reference if the story is about a student. Have a lead longer than one paragraph Put quotes within your lead
No, you shouldn t Use a news lead Write in the passive voice Use too many adverbs and adjectives instead of specific nouns and powerful verbs Have messy handwriting Stack quotes Avoid using quotes
On contest day! Read the entire prompt! Take a moment. Remember what stands out to you. Try to use that for your lead.! Reread the prompt and highlight or underline powerful quotes.! Also, mark your nut graph (usually the news peg) in the prompt.! Cross out any unnecessary quotes or people.! Write.
Jeanne Acton jacton@uiltexas.org